Crushed limestone as an aggregate in concrete production: the Cyprus case

Abstract

Limestones in Cyprus are mainly quarried for the production of coarse and fine aggregates to be used in concrete. The objective of this paper is to examine the properties of crushed limestone aggregates. The petrographical and physico-mechanical properties of these aggregates are described and their suitability for concrete production is examined. The coarse crushed limestone aggregates from Cyprus have water absorption values exceeding 3.3%, which is considered high for concrete applications. Their abrasion resistance (Los Angeles) values are consistently above 23%, while their weathering coefficients generally range between 10 and 30%. The fine crushed limestone aggregates show significantly lower water absorption values (less than 2.2%) and higher weathering coefficients (above 35%) than the coarse aggregates. The weathering coefficient of crushed limestone aggregates increases with a decrease in the fraction size up to 5 mm, after which it remains fairly constant. The physico-mechanical properties of crushed limestone aggregates are distinctly variable irrespective of the fact that they belong to the same geological formation and show relatively similar petrography.